Troubleshooting MFA Issues

  • Updated

If Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is enabled for your organization and you are unable to complete the verification process, try the following troubleshooting steps.

Supported MFA Methods

OWL supports the following Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) methods:

  • Security Question & Answer
  • Time-Based One-Time Password 
  • Facial Recognition

Security Question & Answer

If you are unable to authenticate using your security question:

  • Ensure you are entering the answer exactly as it was originally configured.
  • Check for spelling mistakes, capitalization, spaces, or punctuation, if applicable.
  • If you cannot remember the answer, contact your system administrator to reset your security questions.

MFA for Single Sign-On (SSO)

If you sign in to OWL using Single Sign-On (SSO), MFA may be managed by your organization’s identity provider rather than OWL.

  • Select the SSO sign-in option on the OWL login page.
  • Complete MFA using your organization’s approved method.
  • Contact your IT team if you cannot complete SSO or MFA verification, need to reset an authenticator, or experience an identity-provider error.

Note: For security reasons, OWL support and system administrators will never ask for your password, security question answers, or Time-Based OTP verification codes. Never share these credentials with anyone.

Time-Based One-Time Password 

If you are using an authenticator application (such as Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator):

  • Enter the most recent verification code before it expires.
  • Wait for a new code to generate if the current one has expired.
  • Ensure your mobile device's date and time are set to Automatic to keep the authenticator synchronized.
  • Verify that you are using the correct authenticator account, if multiple accounts are configured.
  • Restart the authenticator application, if necessary.
  • If the generated codes continue to be rejected, contact your system administrator to re-register your authenticator.

Facial Recognition

If facial recognition authentication fails:

  • Ensure your face is clearly visible to the camera.
  • Remove sunglasses, masks, or any accessories that may obstruct facial recognition.
  • Make sure you are in a well-lit environment.
  • Clean your device's camera lens if the image appears blurry.
  • Allow camera permissions in your browser, if prompted.
  • Refresh the page and try the authentication again.

Browser or Session Issues

If authentication does not complete successfully:

  • Refresh the login page and try again.
  • Close the browser and start a new session.
  • Clear your browser cache if the issue persists.
  • Try using a supported browser or an Incognito/Private browsing window.

Supported browsers are:

  • Google Chrome 90 or later
  • Microsoft Edge 90 or later
  • Mozilla Firefox 90 or later
  • Safari 14 or later

Network Connectivity

Authentication may fail if your internet connection is unstable.

  • Verify that your device is connected to the internet.
  • Switch between Wi-Fi and another network if necessary.
  • Retry the authentication once the connection is stable.

Lost or Replaced Authentication Device

If your registered device has been lost, replaced, or is no longer accessible:

  • Contact your system administrator immediately.
  • Your administrator can reset your MFA configuration and help you register a new authentication device.

When to Contact Your Administrator

Contact your system administrator if:

  • You have forgotten the answer to your security question.
  • Your authenticator application is generating invalid codes.
  • You are unable to complete facial recognition authentication after multiple attempts.
  • Your registered authentication device is lost or unavailable.
  • MFA continues to fail after completing the troubleshooting steps.
  • You need to reset or reconfigure your MFA settings.

Note: For security reasons, OWL support and system administrators will never ask for your password, security question answers, or Time-Based OTP verification codes. Never share these credentials with anyone.